Dr. Fauci says it's 'doable' to have coronavirus vaccine with hundreds of millions of doses by January


Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, believes it's "doable" to have hundreds of millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine ready by January 2021.
Fauci appeared Thursday on Today after Bloomberg reported that a Trump administration program, Operation Warp Speed, aims to speed up development of a COVID-19 vaccine with the goal of having 300 million doses available by January.
Asked if this rapid timeline is actually possible, Fauci told Today that he believes it is, explaining that the plan is, as Bloomberg reported, to quickly move to ramp up production of some potential vaccines while they are undergoing trials but before it's clear if they work.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We're going to start ramping up production with the companies involved, and you do that at risk," Fauci said. "In other words, you don't wait until you get an answer before you start manufacturing. You, at risk, proactively start making it assuming it's going to work. And if it does, then you could scale up and hopefully get to that timeline."
Fauci added of this quick timeline, "I think that is doable, if things fall in the right place." In its report on Operation Warp Speed, Bloomberg noted that "there is no precedent for such rapid development of a vaccine." Brendan Morrow
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
The Biden cover-up: a 'near-treasonous' conspiracy
Talking Point Using 'Trumpian' tactics, the former president's inner circle maintained a conspiracy of silence around his cognitive and physical decline
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr.: A new plan for sabotaging vaccines
Feature The Health Secretary announced changes to vaccine testing and asks Americans to 'do your own research'
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments